I had a conversation with my parents over Thanksgiving about how I wasn’t sure I should ever have biological kids. When my mother asked way I listed all the hereditary diseases that our family carried. There are many of them. Blindness, depression, parkinson’s, alzheimer’s, just to name a few. I have always believed that I will be a good parent but I don’t know that I have to have my biological children to feel that. I don’t know that I need to pass all of that on. Before friday this was the only reason I could think of to not have children.
This is a long winded way to coming around to the fact that never before have I ever thought I don’t want kids cause the world is too scary. I have never in my life considered the fact that my children might grow up in a scarier world than I did. But they might. So right now I am writing my Senators asking for stricter gun control policies because I don’t want to have to be the teacher that hides their students in a closet from the crazy gunman. And I really really don’t want to be the parent that receives the phone call that there is a gun at my child’s school
if you would like write yours here is how to find your senator.
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Here is mine.
Dear Senator Gillibrand and Senator Schumer,
I am a high school teacher. I have been teacher for three years now and it is by far the best job I will ever have. I get to go to work everyday without fear. I am not a cop or a firefighter. I have never seriously considered the fact a man with a gun might be involved in my work. I am not scared that one might come to my school. I am also not scared to take a group of students to the movies. But should I be?
I am writing you to tell you that gun control matters to me. That stopping gun violence is an important issue for me. That there is only one purpose for a semi-automatic weapon and that it to kill something. That it should be much much harder to get a gun.
When you are voting, when you are helping draft laws, please stop to think about how important these children in Newton were. Stop and think about how brave their teachers were. And please help me to never have to be in a position where I am forced to be so brave.
Thank you,
Me.
a brand new line. 
Thank you for doing the right thing.
The time is long past when we can just talk about gun control. It is time to act.
Discussing the issues with my friends, family and coworkers is not enough.
If we don’t take some action now, I, for one, believe we will be complicit in the next terrible incident. And as things stand at the moment there will probably be a ‘next terrible incident’.
LikeLike
Hi,
I want to point out that while your reproductive choices are your own, you are mistaken about some of the risks. The genetic basis for depression is complex at the very best, and depression is treatable, Their are early onset parkinson’s genes and alzheimer’s genes. They are not dominant, and so both parents would have to have them. Outside of those, the genetic basis is again quite complex. If you had Huntington’s disease, you might consider adoption. Having children is, in my opinion, the single most meaningful experience I have had as a human. It is life changing in a profound and wonderful way. Sure, there are risks. Things can go wrong. Having kids is scary. It is a moment of optimism. I did not think I would have children because of the world they might grow up in. But in the end, when the situation was right, it made sense to have children. I hope you wont rule it out because you cant guarantee their lives will be perfect.
LikeLike